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'Workt' sees thread of women's work in American history

By Lonnae O'Neal Parker The Washington Post

Posted:
01/10/2014 12:05:47 AM MST

Updated:
01/10/2014 12:06:48 AM MST

Two centuries of women's work and the myriad ways that's been historically valued are on display at the National Museum of Women in the Arts exhibition, "Workt by Hand: Hidden Labor and Historical Quilts."

The term "workt by hand" is common in quilting parlance and refers to the distinctive skill and personal connection a craftsperson brings to each object. Through patterns and styles -- including "barn raising," "log cabin," "double wedding band" and "crazy quilts" -- the 35 works from the 18th to 20th centuries act as a stand-in for larger questions of art vs. craft, authorship and anonymity, and the relative weight of women's labor and influence during specific cultural moments.

The five-part exhibition comes from the Brooklyn Museum's decorative arts collection. It is divided into overarching themes, not wholly chronological, that provide a feminist framework and context to the understanding and resonance of quilts dating back to America's earliest times.

An intricate white, whole cloth quilt from 1810, with added stuffing to enhance its sculptural qualities is prominently displayed in "Myth, Nostalgia, the Colonial Revival and American Centennial."

The section focuses on how quilts became part of the revisionism and reimagining of America's founding ethos around the time of its centennial. The fact that the quilter's name is known, and that it is such a detailed piece belies the focus of quilts as the province of humble, rough-hewn beginnings.

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"The image was of pioneering women stitching together scraps to stay warm," says Virginia Treanor, associate curator and liaison curator for the exhibition. But "these were luxury items. You had to have the money for fabric and the time to complete it."

The exhibition raises questions about how we label things and "why we value what we value in our society," says Treanor. "Why are paintings more valued than quilts?" Is it because quilts also have utility? Do quilts become more valuable when they are hung? And did quilts become synonymous with a wholesome women's activity because quilting was largely confined to indoors, away from the public sphere?

An 1840 "pictorial quilt" features blocks representing each contributor, and although there are some initials, "why don't we know the women who made this?" Treanor says. "We like the image of the genius loner artist and the idea that something is collaborative gives it less value."

"Folk Art and American Identity" tells us that the notion of "honest American culture" was idealized around World War I, as a counter to perceptions of European decadence -- including the women who were presumably content to have their quilts shown at local fairs instead of art galleries. During the Great Depression, pieced quilts of old clothes and feedbags built on the earlier false stories of pioneers stitching their scraps, and became part of a sustaining myth of historical linkages. "Depression-era quilts became symbols of perseverance from a supposedly more authentic time," according to the exhibition wall text.

Exhibition photos include ones of quilters in what became the nationally famed Gee's Bend, Ala., quilting collective.

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